Installation of CCTV hopes to prevent leakage of SPM questions - Muhyiddin

The installation of closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) at 526 strong rooms where the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) question papers are stored will hopefully prevent any leakage of the questions, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the immediate measures to tighten up security control on the flow of the movement of the SPM question papers had been taken following the leakage of the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) question papers earlier.

"These included the methods of preparing the questions right up to the packing stage. If any tampering occurs, it can be identified," he said at a media conference after observing the first day of the examination at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kiaramas, here today.

Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, added that the delivery of the questions papers to the examination centres were also carried out with security assistance from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).

He also disclosed that appropriate preparation had also been made in the states which were likely to be hit by the floods to ensure that the examination could be continued in a proper condition.

Muhyiddin also wished the candidates success and advised them to be calm and not to be nervous when answering the questions and to apply whatever they had learnt in class and additional classes in the best manner possible.

A total of 455,839 SPM candidates sat for the Bahasa Melayu examination paper at 3,655 examination centres throughout the country today.

Of the total, 20 candidates were those with special needs following mental retardation, blind candidates (23), mute (1), deaf (208), impaired vision (134), spastic (26) and other disablements (645).

A total of 29,607 examination workers and 22,989 invigilators were involved in the SPM this year which will end on Dec 4.